Book Eight
by JuliaJamboree
Summary: Half Scorpius/ half Albus. Scorpius and Albus are starting Hogwarts. Their houses are unexpected, as are their friends, and things are going pretty well. But are their famous heritages enough to help them tackle a war that comes from an surprising place? HIATUS TIL WHO KNOWS WHEN.
1. Year One, One

A/N: Okay, so this is my attempt at fixing the sad excuse of an epilogue that JK Rowling stuck us with. I'm not sure if I plan on doing a series, or one gigantic super novel, but here's the first chapter. :D I'll post when I can, but my computer is still broken, so there might be a bit of a wait between chapters. Sorry about that in advance.

Year One, 1

Scorpius Malfoy stood on Platform 9 ¾ , discreetly squeezing his mother's hand. He was trying desperately not to show how overwhelmed he was by the goings on near the Hogwarts Express, but he wasn't sure how good a job he was doing.

His father glanced down at him and grinned. To anyone else, Scorpius would appear cool and collected; the perfect young Malfoy. Draco, however, knew better. The boy was breathing erratically, quivering, and, although masking it admirably from lookers-on, the elder Malfoy could see his son gripping his wife's hand like a vice. He was terrified.

Lucretia could feel her son's nerves as well. "All right, munchkin?" she asked gently. Draco turned his head to roll his eyes, but was mildly pleased. At least what the woman lacked in personality she made up for in motherly devotion.

"Mother!" Scorpius said, horrified. "Do _not_ call me 'munchkin' in _public_! Or ever, as a matter of fact."

Draco had to suppress a laugh. Scorpius sounded just like he had at that age – disdainful and superior.

Lucretia's eyes twinkled. "Oh, I _do_ apologize, young Master Malfoy," she said solemnly.

Scorpius turned to his father, affronted. "Father, she's mocking me. Do something about it, please." Draco noted that he was still holding on to Lucretia's hand.

"Of course," he said. "What do you suggest?" The question was the perfect deflection; it made it seem like he was playing along, but negating all need for actual interaction with his wife.

"Oh, I don't _know_," Scorpius sighed, glancing around. He was very good at feigning boredom.

"Shall I send her away?" his father asked lightly, although entirely willing to follow through. He didn't have to be looking to know that Lucretia had bristled.

"No!" Scorpius said, louder than he'd intended. Several people looked their way, and he flushed, pink prettily tingeing his paper white skin. "I mean, that won't be necessary."

Draco smiled fondly, masking his disappointment. He glanced toward a rather large group of people who were making a lot of noise and froze. As Scorpius watched, the smile melted off of Draco's face and his father stiffened, straightening up and squaring his shoulders. The young blonde leaned forward, around his much taller ditto, to see what had caused the change. What he saw surprised him.

Fifty or so yards away stood a loud, happy-looking group of eight – four adults and four children, two of whom looked to be first years like himself. Two of the adults and the two female children had flaming red hair. The other man had hair as black as the soot swirling around them and just as messy, and the woman had bushy brown hair. The younger of the two boys also had curly brown hair, and the one about his age – well, it was hard to tell. The older boy's hair was black in some places, brownish in others, and reddish brown in still more. It was like it hadn't known what color to pick, so it chose all three.

The pack seemed harmless enough, so Scorpius was confused at his father's reaction. He was going to ask about it when the black haired man and the red haired man caught sight of them. Their response was much like Draco's.

The red haired man said something and the elder boy and girl looked their way too. They both looked as confused as he felt, which made him feel better about being in the dark – at least he wasn't the only one. They stared at one another for a few moments until another boy, this one with black hair and looking perhaps a year older than Scorpius, came running up to the group, shouting something about someone called Teddy snogging someone else. Scorpius rolled his eyes and looked away, although he wondered if it was the same Teddy he knew.

The train's whistle sounded and the scramble to board became even more chaotic. Scorpius reluctantly let go of his mother's hand and allowed her to hug him. "Good luck, munchkin," she whispered, and oddly enough, he didn't mind this time. "We'll see you at Christmas."

"Bye, Mum," he said quietly before turning to his father.

Draco had recovered himself enough to give his son a proper farewell. He stooped down and enveloped the boy in a huge hug. "Knock 'em dead, Score," he said, smiling.

"Um, Dad?" Scorpius whispered. "What if I'm not in Slytherin?"

Draco ruffled the boy's hair affectionately, knowing it wouldn't upset him. Unlike himself, the younger Malfoy preferred his hair messy. "Don't worry. It's not as if I'll disown you if you aren't. Just, please. Don't be in Hufflepuff."

Scorpius gulped and looked almost like he would burst into tears. Draco laughed. "I'm joking. You'll be brilliant no matter what House you're in." He kissed the boy's forehead. "Now go!"

Scorpius hugged his father one last time, and ran, managing to catch the train right before it pulled away. He stood there and waved until they had pulled around the bend and his parents were no longer in sight. Sighing, he moved deeper into the train, looking for a place to sit.


	2. Year One, Two

A/N: Something I forgot to mention last chapter: I am truly sorry about the crappy title and summary for this fic. I write as I go, and I never plot anything out, so I have no real idea of the way this fic is going. So, yeah, the title and summary may change eventually depending on how things go. Also, in this chapter, I make a reference to Albus Potter's older brother James, calling him 'Jake.' That's intentional, not a typo, and I know his name is James. You'll see why I did it when you read.

Year One, 2

"Scorpius, _there_ you are," Iris Parkinson said, grabbing his arm and dragging him into a compartment. "I've been looking all _over_ for you." She collapsed in an exaggerated huff, flipping her long, dark hair over one shoulder. "Well, sit down," she said impatiently.

Scorpius sneered like a good Malfoy, but sat down between her and a boy he vaguely recognized as Geoffrey Crabbe. He didn't really mind being bossed around by Iris – she'd been doing it since their infancy, and there was no stopping her now – but he figured he should put on a show for her friends. He was a Malfoy, after all, and Malfoy's did _not_ get bossed around and take it well.

There were three others in their compartment, all whom he had met once or twice before. There was Crabbe, as previously stated, and there was also Venus Zambini and Eddie Bulstrode. Together, they made up Iris's band of followers, which wasn't something he was particularly happy about. He'd been warned to keep his distance from Crabbe, son of his father's old school lackey, and had been expressly forbidden to be in contact with either of the others, due to their infamous parents. His father had fallen out of touch with the majority of his Hogwarts peers, either because he wanted to forget his school days – in the case of Crabbe's father – or because he had truly despised them, as he had the parents of the other two. In both cases, Scorpius had had little to do with the people that most probably assumed he had become best friends with, and he preferred to keep it that way.

Iris, of course, was a different story. From what Scorpius had heard, try as his father might to lose contact with her mother, Pansy, Draco had been unsuccessful due to her stalker-like qualities. Eventually, he'd just given up, and the Parkinson women became a regular presence at Malfoy Manor. Scorpius had had no choice but to become Iris's friend, because as bad as it was to be on her good side, her bad side was much, much worse.

"So was I the only one who saw that obnoxious Potter-Weasley clan?" Venus asked. "Merlin, they're even worse than Father told me."

"Who?" Scorpius asked without thinking. Four sets of eyes flicked to his face, three surprised, one irritated. He flushed.

"He's joking, of course," Iris said with a condescending laugh. She leaned so close that only he could hear her next words. "I know that your father seems to enjoy keeping you uninformed, but do not flaunt your ignorance so freely. You'll embarrass me." She sat up, leaving Scorpius fuming, but silent. "Continue," she said.

"Right. Anyway, did you see them?" Venus asked again.

"Of course I did," Iris said. "How could you not?"

"Took up the whole bloody platform and made enough noise to wake the dead," Crabbe agreed.

Bulstrode, not one for talking, simply nodded.

"I swear, Harry bloody Potter and his rabble of ridiculous relatives," Venus complained. "They think they own the whole bloody world, and it doesn't help that Kingsley treats them like royalty."

"Well how that oaf came to be Minister of Magic I'll never know," Iris said. "You'd think that the people would want someone who wasn't under Potter's thumb, but apparently he's still Boy Wonder."

"Bet his kids strut around like they own the place when we get there," Crabbe grumbled.

"I heard from my sister that the one already does," Venus said. "Jake or whatever; he started last year."

"Oh don't worry," Iris said. "We'll put a stop to that right away." She grinned.

By now, Scorpius had figured out that they were talking about the group of people his father had been staring at on the platform. He thought he had spotted the famous scar on the black haired man, and that would explain why everyone was looking at them. It wasn't because they were loud; it was because they were famous. He hadn't, however, realized that Harry Potter had children – or at least that they were so close to his age.

"I swear, if I'm in a House with one of them, I'll hex someone," Venus said.

"You won't have to worry about that, Venus," Iris said. "We're all bound for Slytherin, and you _know_ all the Potters are Gryffindors." She said the word like a curse.

The other three nodded, but Scorpius wasn't so certain. He knew, of course, that the others were on their way to Slytherin, but as for himself he wasn't so sure. He wasn't what anyone would call Slytherin material – once they got to know him, that is.

On the outside, he was the quintessential Slytherin and Malfoy; he looked and could act every bit the part. In reality, though, he wasn't as self-assured or ambitious. He was cunning, sure, and he had a nasty temper when it got out of hand, but what self-respecting Slytherin let himself be bossed around by a girl and treated like a side kick? He certainly had no issues with his ego, but he wasn't entirely self-centered and rude, and what Slytherin preferred to spend the day reading over plotting elaborate and nefarious schemes? No, he wouldn't make it in Slytherin, not the way a Malfoy should. Anywhere else, and he would be fine – but not if he was in Slytherin.

While he thought this over, he kept a flawless mask of bored disdain, continuing to appear the way a Malfoy was expected. The others continued to verbally abuse the Potter-Weasleys, and anyone else who wasn't going to be a Slytherin, but he tuned them out so that he could worry himself sick in peace.


	3. Year One, Three

A/N: Thanks to all my followers for being patient with my random updates, and for my reviewers, because without you, I'd give up. :) And 'Pol' is pronounced 'Paul,' by the way. Just so you all know.

Year One, 3

In the compartment directly across the hall, a similar conversation was taking place. Albus Potter sat next to his cousin Rose, listening to Maureen Finnegan complain about Iris Parkinson.

"Did you _see_ her?" she asked the compartment in general. "She's waltzing around, ordering people about and acting like she's the queen of the world! She's even got Malfoy doing her bidding! It's disgusting!"

"Malfoy's doing _her_ bidding?" Colin Thomas asked. "I thought it'd be the other way around."

"Why's that?" Albus said.

Maureen and Colin looked at him. "Scorpius Malfoy is Draco Malfoy's son," Maureen said.

"So?"

"_So_," Colin said, "haven't you heard what Draco Malfoy was like?"

"Uncle Ron says he was a right git, but Mum and Dad don't like to talk about the Malfoys."

"Well, apparently, Draco Malfoy strutted about Hogwarts like he owned the place. He was rude, mean, and had some sort of superiority complex. Da' said he was pretty much the Slytherin King." Maureen made a face. "And now Iris is the queen. She's got a whole gang of former Slytherin kids following her around like servants, and I'm sure they're all as bad as their parents."

Rose frowned. "That's not fair. It's not right to judge people based on their parents before you get to know them. Have you actually met any of these kids?"

"We met Iris," Colin said. "She's a hag."

Albus fought a grin and tried to act as serious as Rose. "What about the others?"

His friends shook their heads.

"Then don't make assumptions, because they might surprise you. Right Pol?"

Apollo Lovegood waved his hand in vague acknowledgement, eyes glued to the latest issue of _The Quibbler_, which his mother had taken over.

"See?" Albus asked. "Pol agrees!"

"Yeah, well the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," Maureen said.

"The seeds can travel great distances," Rose countered, and everyone grinned.

"Touché," Maureen said.

There was a knock on the compartment door, and it slid open to reveal a plump old witch pushing a snack cart. "Anything off the trolley, dears?"

Albus rose with every intention of buying her out of Pumpkin Pasties. He stepped into the doorway, looking down to make sure he didn't trip over anything, and heard the very thing he dreaded: "Four Pumpkin Pasties." His head snapped up, and he saw the pale blonde boy from the platform standing on the other side of the cart.

Albus frowned slightly. Clearly, this boy was Scorpius Malfoy. He looked like the Slytherin type, and he remembered his uncle saying something about the name Scorpius when they were on the platform earlier. However, the boy didn't look like he'd be one to act the way Maureen and Colin expected. Yeah, he carried himself like he thought he was superior, but he also looked kind of sad and a bit shy.

As the boy was turning to go back inside his compartment, he glanced up and caught Albus's eye. Albus gave him a small smile, and the pale cheeks flushed faintly. The boy quickly closed the door with a sharp snap. Albus's smile widened and he bought the rest of the pasties.

"Well, at least I know one thing," Maureen was saying when Albus sat down again. "I definitely won't be in the same House as Iris. She's headed straight to Slytherin, that one."

"What about you?" Albus asked through a mouthful of pasty.

"I'll be in Gryffindor, of course! Like Da'!"

"And you're sure?"

"'Course! Aren't you?"

Albus looked out the window and pushed his shaggy hair out of his face. Right now it looked red in the sunlight streaming through the window. "I don't know," he said, unwilling to share what his dad had told him about the Sorting Hat. He knew it was a little bit selfish, but he wanted that knowledge to himself.

"What about you, Rose?" Colin asked. "Where do you think you'll be?"

"Well, I'm hoping for Gryffindor, but Ravenclaw would be okay too," she said.

"I won't make it to Ravenclaw," he said, "but Gryffindor is definitely the place for me."

Everyone looked at Apollo. He felt eyes on him and glanced up. "What?"

"What House do you think you'll be in?" Albus asked.

"Ravenclaw, like Mum," he said, turning back to _The Quibbler_. The other four smiled.

Albus sat back in his seat, munching on pasties and listening to his friends chatter. It was a scene he'd already become comfortable with, even though he hadn't known Colin or Maureen that long. Apollo and Rose he'd known for years, and the other two just melded in like they'd been there all along. He hoped this was something they could continue with at Hogwarts, but he knew it was unlikely. They were all headed for different places.


	4. Year One, Four

A/N: So, yeah. This is a ridiculously long tome to go between updates. I'm really, _really_ sorry. I've been completely swamped with school work and regular work and a whole bunch of other crap that has prevented me from getting the time to write. But! It's here now, and I should have chapter five up relatively soon too! :D So, please, don't kill me. :/

Year One, 4

Scorpius followed Iris and the others off of the train and looked around. _So_, he thought. _This is Hogsmeade._ Even though he only really had a view of the train station, and it was dark out, thus far, it was entirely unimpressive.

"Firs' years!"

He turned his head in the general direction of the call and saw the tricolor-haired boy and several others standing close by. The abundance of freckles that Scorpius had seen on the train when the two of them had been out to buy sweets was once again glaringly apparent, as was the shockingly blue color of the boy's eyes. He glanced at Scorpius and smiled, and the call came again.

"Firs' years! Firs' years this way!"

The little plethora of them made their way toward a giant of a man with an impressive beard, holding a lantern on the far side of the platform, joining the other first years fording through the crowd.

"Alrigh' there, you lot?" the large man said to the Potter boy and his friends.

"Hey, Hagrid," the boy said.

"Firs' years, follow me," Hagrid bellowed one last time after a grin at the group beside Scorpius. "We're headed to the boats."

They began to move again, at a quick pace to keep up with Hagrid's gargantuan stride. Scorpius almost had to run to stay with Iris and her friends, who kept up the pace with ease. In a particularly desperate burst of speed, he actually collided with the person in front of him.

"Sorry," he muttered, although it wasn't loud enough for them to hear.

Their hike continued until they reached a large lake that looked like a small ocean. Upon it floated no less than thirty wooden boats.

"Alrigh', in ye get. No more'n four to a boat, mind ye. Don' wanna sink." Hagrid, of course, go a boat to himself.

There was a scramble, and before Scorpius could climb into one, Iris and the other three were sitting quite comfortably in the boat nearest to where they'd been standing. He scowled and Iris smiled sweetly. He wanted to slap her but instead looked around helplessly. He knew no one else, and boats were filling up left and right. He began to worry he might get left behind.

"You can get in with us," he heard from behind him. He turned and saw the Potter boy, the red haired girl, and a blonde boy floating close by. The girl was the one who seemed to have spoken, for she was looking at him expectantly.

"Thanks," he said stiffly, climbing in and sitting as far from them as he could. He'd never done well with new people.

"I'm Rose Weasley," the girl said brightly. "This is my cousin, Albus Potter, and our friend Apollo Lovegood."

"Scorpius Malfoy."

Rose's bright smile never wavered and being its target made Scorpius uncomfortable. He shifted in his seat and glanced at Albus, who was regarding him thoughtfully, and then at Apollo, who seemed to have no interest at all in what was going on. His nose was buried in some magazine that looked like absolute rubbish. Scorpius was glad there was at least one person not staring at him.

The ride up to the castle was a quiet, awkward one. Scorpius had nothing to say to any of the other passengers, and they seemed to have decided that it was a good time to fall silent. He didn't know if it was because of him or just because they were a quiet bunch. Either way, it made for an experience Scorpius was in no hurry to repeat.

When the boats touched the opposite shore, everybody clambered out of them and followed Hagrid, whose hulking form and continual cries of "Follow me!" were hard to miss. Somehow, Scorpius ended up next to Iris again.

"Oh, Score," she said, filling her voice with false sympathy. He could, however, hear the amusement underneath. "I'm so sorry. That must have been horrifying for you."

"Horrifying," he agreed, knowing it was best to just go along and not argue with her. He couldn't win.

"I saw the Weasley girl staring at you," she said. "Bet you liked that."

Scorpius colored. "What exactly are you trying to say, Iris? I'm not in the mood for your mind games."

"I'm simply suggesting that perhaps your father's laxness has given you a soft spot for half bloods and blood traitors." Her voice was all mocking innocence.

Scorpius's eyes flashed. "My ignorance, as you call it, has not affected me so much as that, Iris. I know where my place is."

Iris looked satisfied. "That's all I wanted to know." She wandered away to join her other friends, or, rather, minions, and Scorpius felt as if he had just passed some sort of test. That time, anyway. With Iris nothing was ever over when you thought it was. He knew that this would come up again.

Scorpius let himself lag behind as the first years were ushered inside the entrance hall of the huge castle. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts.


	5. Year One, Five

A/N: Well, this is slightly better than the time I spent between the last two posts, yessss? :D . BUT! This chapter is longer, so that makes up for it, right? _Right_? Sorry. I'll stop babbling.

Year One, 5

Scorpius did a decent job hiding his gawking when he was finally ushered inside. Not only was the entrance hall beautiful, but it was huge as well. He glanced up and got dizzy from the sheer height of the ceiling, which he couldn't even see. It was mind-blowing.

The first years stood in nervous-looking clumps and whispered amongst themselves as they waited to be escorted into the Great Hall. Scorpius stood near Iris; not close enough to talk to her or her friends, but close enough to look like he belonged. He could see Albus Potter and his friends a few groups away and wondered what the boy was thinking. His face was impassive.

A throat was cleared toward their right and it fell dead silent as one hundred and fifty pairs of eyes flicked toward the sound. A pretty, bubbly young witch stood beaming at the lot of them by the doors that could only lead to the Great Hall. She seemed full to bursting with excitement, which made up for the lack of it in the terrified group of new students.

"Hello, everyone!" she said, waving. "My name is Professor Stills, and I'm the Charms teacher. I'm looking forward to teaching all of you, but before I can do that, we have to get you sorted. So," she said, sobering slightly, "please organize yourselves into a line, and we'll get started."

There was a momentary surge of movement as the first years tried to form a line in front of the professor.

"One more thing before we begin," Professor Stills said. "Houses are very important at Hogwarts. Your House is your family while you're here. Always remember that. House Points are awarded for good behavior, but taken away for rule-breaking. Keep that in mind before you decide to get into any trouble." She eyed them severely for a moment, and Scorpius knew from her expression that, despite her air headed exterior, Professor Stills was not a witch to mess with. But the smile returned as quickly as it left, and the cheerful "O-kay! Onward!" made him roll his eyes.

Gasps came from almost every mouth when the doors to the Great Hall swung open. The gigantic hall was lit with thousands of floating candles, covering the room in a welcoming glow. Four long tables were set out, and a fifth for teachers at the far end of the hall, where they were heading now. To escape the stares of the hundreds of older students present, Scorpius glanced up and saw not the ceiling, but the night sky. He knew it wasn't real, but he was still blown away. He'd never seen stars that bright.

Professor Stills stopped just short of the fifth table and put down a three-legged stool. On top of it, she placed an ancient-looking hat that appeared like it might fall apart any day now. She grinned at them and pulled out a large scroll from her robes, and then she looked at the hat. All eyes in the hall followed hers.

For a moment, the entire room was silent. Then, a wide rip at the brim of the hat opened and it began to sing.

_I am called the Sorting Hat._

_Would you like to know what I do?_

_It's my job to figure out what House _

_Will be best for students just like you._

_Look around this room._

_Every student that you see_

_Was sorted the exact same way,_

_And that way would be me._

_It wasn't always like this, though, _

_And I'll give you the gist_

_Of what it was like at Hogwarts_

_Before I came to exist._

_There were originally four founders_

_And they decided that they should_

_Create a place to teach young wizards_

_Because they knew that they could._

_Gryffindor was first _

_And he wanted to teach the bravest._

_Slytherin wanted the cunning_

_For he thought they were the greatest._

_Ravenclaw was next,_

_And she preferred those with smarts._

_Hufflepuff decided to take the rest_

_Because she thought that learning starts _

_Not with bravery or cunning,_

_Or even with great brains._

_She thought that the greatest minds_

_Were those that really trained._

_And so the founding four _

_Created this our school,_

_But they knew that they would one day die_

_So they made themselves a tool_

_To get the students put _

_In the place they needed to be_

_And I am proud to tell you_

_That, that tool would be me!_

_So sit on down and I will go_

_Deep into your mind._

_The House that you'll excel in_

_Is what I hope to find._

_Don't be nervous, please don't cry,_

_I know what to do._

_I know how to find the place_

_That is best for you._

The rip in the brim closed, and the hall burst into applause.

"Alright, first years," Professor Stills said, "when I call your name, please come up to be sorted." She glanced down at the scroll. "Alvin, Justine."

A small blonde girl stepped out from the throng of students gathered around the stool. Professor Stills picked up the Sorting Hat and the girl sat down. The hat was placed on her head and everyone waited.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" rang out a moment later and the Hufflepuff table erupted in applause before the other tables joined in.

Watching the other students get sorted wasn't exactly what Scorpius would consider a stimulating event. Instead of watching with rapt attention, as everyone else seemed to be doing, he spent the time looking around the Great Hall, only glancing up for names he recognized, like "Bulstrode, Eddie," ("SLYTHERIN!") or "Crabbe, Geoffrey" ("SLYTHERIN!").

He also watched when Potter's companions were sorted. A girl he'd seen Potter get off the train with ("Finnegan, Maureen") was sorted into Gryffindor, and "Lovegood, Apollo," the other boy who had been in his boat, was sorted to Ravenclaw. As Lovegood was taking his seat, Scorpius caught Potter's eye. The boy grinned at him, and he looked away quickly. It was disconcerting how often Potter smiled at him.

When the applause for Lovegood died down, Professor Stills called out, "Malfoy, Scorpius." Scorpius' stomach dropped to the floor, and with shaking knees he ascended the stairs. Professor Stills gave him an encouraging smile, and placed the Sorting Hat on his head. It slipped over his eyes, and all he could see was darkness.

"Oh? A Malfoy? I haven't had one of you in quite some time." The voice was a whisper, but it seemed to be coming more from inside of him than from any outside source. Scorpius said nothing.

"Yes, this is intriguing. With your father I knew right away, but you…you're much more…complex."

Scorpius gulped.

"Oh, come now, don't be afraid. I haven't been wrong yet. Hufflepuff is no good, I can see that right away, but I think you're too much of a Slytherin for Gryffindor. Not enough, however, to actually be a Slytherin, though. What I can see is a great intelligence….Well, then, that just leaves – RAVENCLAW!"

There was a moment of stunned silence before the hall was consumed by the applause of the Ravenclaw table.


	6. Year One, Six

A/N: I feel as if I might be getting repetitive, but I am REALLY sorry about the long time between updates.

Year One, Six

Albus grinned at Colin's dumbfounded expression. "Alright there, Col?"

"Malfoy! He's in Ravenclaw!"

"Very good, Colin! Now, what's the name of the school?"

"Oh, you're hilarious, Al," Colin snapped. "You can't really be unsurprised by this."

"Oh, no, I'm surprised," Albus said. "I'm just not shocked or scandalized, as you seem to be."

Colin frowned and turned back to watch the Sorting. Albus saw "Patil, Marcus," get sorted to Hufflepuff and began to get nervous. He'd be up soon.

"Patterson, Reanne," ("HUFFLEPUFF!"), "Parkinson, Iris" ("SLYTHERIN!"), and "Peters, Joshua" ("GRYFFINDOR!") later, "Potter, Albus" was finally called. Albus took a deep breath and moved forward to sit on the stool. The Sorting Hat slipped over his eyes, and he waited.

"Another Potter," said a small voice inside his head. "Always an interesting mind, your family. Never immediately pops out where you should go."

"Not Slytherin," Albus whispered.

"Oh, my, my, my, look who spilled the beans. Remind me to slap your father the next time I see him. At least your brother didn't know. Not Slytherin for you either?"

"Please, no," Albus said.

"You could be great there, you know. I told your father the same thing. But you'll be as stubborn as he is, no doubt, so I don't know why I even bother. So, not Slytherin? Well, then it's definitely…RAVENCLAW!"

The hall was silent – even more silent than it had been when Scorpius had been sorted. Everyone was shocked. Harry Potter's son, not a Gryffindor?

Suddenly it seemed to sink in at the Ravenclaw table, and the loudest applause yet shook the hall. Albus stumbled down to his awaiting House, relieved and astounded at the same time. He could feel the searching look from his brother two tables away, and ignored it as he was welcomed heartily by his Housemates.

He sat down next to Apollo who grinned at him, showing the first spout of enthusiasm Albus had seen from him all day. He grinned back and spotted Scorpius Malfoy gaping at him from a few seats down. The boy looked as shocked by Albus' sorting as Colin had been about his own. Albus' grin widened and Scorpius looked away, and, although he might have imagined it, Albus could have sworn he saw the boy blush.

Colin joined Maureen and James in Gryffindor, and Rose became a Ravenclaw as well. Finally, after "Zambini, Venus," ("SLYTHERIN!") was sorted, Professor Stills took away the Sorting Hat and the stool. The room grew quiet again as the headmistress, Professor McGonigal, stood up.

"To all new students," she said, "welcome." Albus could now understand what his dad had told him about her. She _was_ a bit scary. She wasn't very large at all, both height and weight wise, but her strong and demanding presence made up for her small size, and, with her gray hair pulled back into a tight bun and her spectacles glinting sharply in the light of the candles, she certainly looked like someone with whom you didn't want to cross paths. "Also," she continued, "welcome back to all returning students. I know you are all very hungry, so I shall save Start of Term Notices until after the feast." She gave them all a stern look. "Enjoy."

Albus watched her sit and frowned, but his expression melted into one of awe when the previously empty plates were suddenly filled with beautiful, steaming food. Anything and everything he could think of was sitting there before him, waiting for him to devour it. His mouth watered, and he immediately started shoveling food onto his plate.

Apollo was still frowning. "What was the point of a speech to tell us that we're going to have a speech? Why not just let us eat?"

A boy sitting across from them grinned. "She does that so everyone remembers not to leave when the feast is over. I heard that she actually tried to give Start of Term Notices before the feast once, but the students nearly staged a coup. Wish I would have been here to see it." His grin widened. "Josh O'Hara, third year."

"Albus Potter," Albus said, then pointed to Apollo. "Apollo Lovegood," and then he motioned to Rose on his other side, "and Rose Weasley."

"Good to meet you all," Josh said.

"Good to meet you as well," Apollo said, and Albus nodded.

Josh shook his head, still grinning like a fool. "A Potter and a Malfoy," he said. "I still can't believe it."

Albus smiled. "Guess it was a bit unexpected, huh?"

"A bit unexpected? Try _ridiculously_ unexpected. Lovegood, sure," he said, motioning to Apollo. "Your mom is a Ravenclaw legend. But you and him, Potter," he jerked his head toward where Scorpius was sitting, "that's insane. Not that I'm complaining, mind you," he added. "It's great! We might actually get a good Quidditch team this year or next. Both of your fathers were bloody brilliant players."

"Mine still is," Albus grinned.

"Excellent! Then you'll be great, I'm sure."

"Is your team not that good?" Rose asked.

Josh shook his head again. "Nah. Ravenclaw could really care less about sports. We're all into learning here; no time for practicing." He made a face. "But now, with you Malfoy around, we might actually make the finals!"

Albus grinned again, and chanced a glance down at Scorpius, who was watching them, and had been since the mention of his name. "This should be a damn interesting year," he head Josh say, and he couldn't help but agree. Interesting indeed.


	7. Year One, Seven

A/N: A belated Christmas present to you all. :)

Year One, Seven

After McGonigal gave out Start of Term Notices (a few of which included no magic in the hallways, no fighting, the Forbidden Forest is, get this, _forbidden_), they were finally released to their dormitories. Scorpius was pleasantly full and feeling quit tired, and all he wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for a year. It had been a long day.

"Ravenclaw first years!" he heard someone call. "Ravenclaw first years, follow me, please!" He saw a tall, black haired girl wearing robes trimmed in Ravenclaw blue waving her arms around. Scorpius rose and made his way over just in time for her to turn and start leading them. He fought to keep her in sight through all of the other students trying to get out of the Great Hall.

Hogwarts was a maze of dark corridors, moving staircases, and secret passages. Scorpius did his best to pay attention to where the girl was leading them, but soon he just gave up entirely. It was far too confusing. He'd figure it out tomorrow.

Ahead of him, he spotted Albus Potter and his two friends and shook his head, remembering the Sorting. The results had been just as shocking to him as they'd been to everyone else, excepting his own, of course. Knowing full well that Slytherin had not been an option, he'd actually been hoping for Ravenclaw. He would have died if he'd been Sorted to Huffelpuff, and his father, despite what he said, would probably have had a heart attack if his son had been put into Gryffindor.

Potter, however, had been another matter entirely. Harry Potter's son not a Gryffindor? That was practically blasphemous in some places, and yet there he was, walking in two students ahead of Scorpius, on his way to Ravenclaw Tower. Life was funny sometimes. And what was even funnier was that he didn't seem upset about it. He was just walking along, having a grand old time with his cousin and his friend like he hadn't just caused the biggest upset in Sorting history. Scorpius shook his head again.

Potter's companions weren't as much of a surprise, Scorpius supposed. Yes, all Weasleys were Gryffindors, and had been since they started attending Hogwarts, however long ago that might have been, but the girl's mother was Hermione Granger-Weasley, the most brilliant magical researcher out there. He should have guessed that her daughter would be just as intelligent. The Lovegood boy was more confusing than shocking. From what Scorpius had observed, the boy seemed like a complete airhead, but he had to admit that some of the most idiotic people he knew were also some of the brightest. Sometimes it just worked that way.

By then they had reached the entrance to the dormitories and Scorpius focused again. He might not have been able to get there by himself, but damnit, he would know the password to get in when he got there. The girl who led them turned and smiled encouragingly.

"Welcome to Ravenclaw," she said, and Scorpius fought back the urge to roll his eyes. The welcome speech couldn't wait until they'd been given the password and were inside? _Although_, he thought, _to whom do we give it?_ The entrance to Ravenclaw Tower seemed to be a large expanse of old wood with an eagle for a knocker.

The girl continued. "My name is Jenn. To gain entrance to the Common Room and dormitories, you must answer a question."

"What if you get it wrong?" asked a small, mousy girl to his right.

"If you answer incorrectly, you must wait for someone else to come along and get it right. That way you learn." Jenn looked so pleased that you'd think she'd come up with the idea herself. "And there is a new question every day."

"How do you know what the question is?" Scorpius heard Potter ask.

"You knock," Jenn answered. To demonstrate, she turned and knocked once. The eagle's beak opened and a soft, musical voice said, "What is the difference between Monkshood and Wolf's bane?"

"There is no difference," Scorpius answered automatically. "They're the same plant." Everyone turned to look at him, and he flushed.

"Right you are," the voice said, and the door swung open.

"See?" Jenn said. "It's that simple. Everyone file in, and good job with that question," she added as Scorpius passed her.

"Thanks," he mumbled, although he was pleased with himself.

The Ravenclaw Common Room was wide and circular with gracefully arching windows. The walls were hung with blue and bronze silks, and the carpet was midnight blue and patterned with stars. The ceiling was domed and painted the same as the carpet, stars and all, and there were chairs and tables and bookcases all around the room. There was also a white marble statue of someone who could only have been Rowena Ravenclaw opposite the door and next to another one. All in all, Scorpius found it an entirely pleasant place. He could see himself being comfortable here.

"The dormitories are though that door and up the stairs," Jenn said, pointing to the door next to Ravenclaw's statue. "Boys, go left when you reach the first landing; girls, go right. Your things are already up there, and while I acknowledge you'll need to get settled, keep in mind that breakfast starts at six tomorrow, and classes start at seven. Schedules will be given out at breakfast, so make sure you're there." With that she made her way across the Common Room and through the door. The group of first years stood there looking at each other for a moment, and then they began wandering forward.

Up the stairs and to the left. Then up some more stairs. The first door Scorpius saw was labeled FIRST YEARS. He pushed it open and saw five beds arranged around a hearth-like heater that took up the center of the room. A door to his right most likely led to the bathrooms. Two other boys he didn't know were already there, putting up posters, setting books around, generally getting comfortable.

Scorpius looked around for his trunk and spotted it at the foot of a bed by a window. He went over and started unpacking.

One of the boys looked over. "Hi. I'm Damien Winters." He was short, with short brown hair and glasses, clutching a stack of books.

Scorpius nodded semi-curtly. "Scorpius Malfoy."

The other boy glanced over from hanging a Quidditch poster on the wall. "Jackson Green."

They went back to their individual activities, and the door opened again, revealing Albus Potter and Apollo Lovegood.

"Wotcher, everyone," Potter said.

They all looked at him and he grinned. Scorpius looked away and went back to his things.

"Damien Winters," he heard Winters say.

"And Jackson Green!"

"Albus Potter and Apollo Lovegood. Good to meet you."

"You as well."

Scorpius realized that there were two beds, one on either side of his own, and so, no matter what, Potter would be next to him. He didn't know how he felt about that.

As it happened, Potter ended up on his left. As he walked by, he said, "Scorpius," in greeting.

Caught off guard, Scorpius replied "Albus," without thinking.

Potter grinned. "Fancy us both in Ravenclaw, eh?"

Scorpius nodded. "Who would have thought it?" He wasn't sure what his father would say about him talking to Harry Potter's son, but considering they were in the same House, it would be easiest not to make an enemy of the boy. After all, his father had never forbidden him from talking to Potter, and he'd want whatever would make Scorpius' stay at Hogwarts pleasant, right? Having an enemy in your own House seemed like a bad idea to him.

"Do you two know each other?" Winters asked, surprised.

Before Scorpius could reply, Potter said, "We met on the train."

"Ah."

It was quiet as the boys finished unpacking and settling in.

"Night, all," Green said when they were through, shutting off the light.

Scorpius laid in bed for a while, listening to his companions' breathing slowly even out to the sounds of sleep. Try as he might, though, and as tired as he was, sleep still evaded him. Finally, he got out of bed and crept down the stairs to the Common Room. He sat down and one of the tables and began to write.

"Dear Father,

Well, I'm not in Slytherin…".


	8. Year One, Eight

A/N: Hehe, yeah, I'm still alive. Sorry about the wait guys, I've been exceptionally busy and cursed with a severe case of writer's block. Hopefully, though, I've gotten over that. We'll see. In the meantime, here's chapter eight!

Year One, Eight

"Scorpius?"

…

"Scorpius?"

Scorpius ignored the voice and tried to go back to sleep. His bed was very warm and very comfortable and he was very, very tired.

The voice, however, was not to be deterred.

"Scorpius!"

Someone started shaking his shoulder. Gently, of course, but there was some definite shaking and Scorpius did not appreciate that one bit. He shrugged away from the hand and pulled the blankets over his head.

"Come on, Scorpius," the voice continued, almost pleading. "You _have_ to get up."

Scorpius did not _have_ to do anything, and he shoved the covers down and opened his eyes to say so and was greeted with a face full of Albus Potter, who seemed to think it necessary to lean in extremely closely in order to wake him. Scorpius jumped in surprise and Albus straightened up to give him some breathing room.

Scorpius took a deep breath. If he hadn't been awake before, he certainly was now. He'd experienced several unexpected things in his life, but nothing could have prepared him for the sight of someone's face mere inches from his own first thing in the morning, especially when that face belonged to one Albus Potter, son of the Savior of the Wizarding World and who, according to his Slytherin acquaintances, was probably an insufferable git.

"Sorry," Potter said sheepishly. "I let you sleep as long as I could, but it's 6:10, and if you don't get up now, you'll miss breakfast."

Scorpius sighed. 6:10; he'd only been asleep for three hours, which, compared to his usual ten, was certainly not enough to function on, but, unfortunately, would have to do.

"Thanks, Potter."

Potter smiled. "'Course."

The dark-haired boy followed Apollo Lovegood out of the room, leaving Scorpius to his own devices. He sighed again and slowly dragged himself out of bed. It was going to be a long day.

Twenty minutes later, he was in the Great Hall. It would have taken him longer, but luckily, he'd found an older student to follow. He was grateful for it, too; he probably would have been wandering around for hours if the boy hadn't shown up. Now however, he had another dilemma: where was he going to sit?

He'd obviously be restricted to the Ravenclaw table; he saw a few mingling colors, but not many, and none, he noted, were first years. He didn't want to be the new kid who got singled out on the first day, and if he didn't sit with his housemates, they might think him pretentious, which he was not, despite his appearance.

Scorpius saw Iris sitting at the Slytherin table, surrounded by her gaggle of minions, and turned away before she could see him looking. Another reason to stick with Ravenclaw; the only other choice would be to sit with her, and he DEFINITELY didn't want to do that. He wanted to delay the torture of not making Slytherin as long as he possibly could.

Yes, Ravenclaw it was, but that added another layer of conflict, instead of simplifying things. Now he had to decide who to sit with. He couldn't sit alone; that fell into the "pretentious" category. However the only Ravenclaws he knew were his dorm mates, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to sit with any of _them_ either. Winters and Green weren't exactly people with whom he usually associated, but Potter and Lovegood weren't either. Also, he still was uncertain about how he should behave with Potter, as he still didn't know how his father would react to him befriending the boy. Scorpius sighed. It was just breakfast. It shouldn't be so damn confusing, and it was also far too early for this much thinking.

So Scorpius stood there in the entrance way, in what he was sure was an idiotic manner, until he heard someone say his name from nearby. He turned to his left and saw Rose Weasley standing there, beaming at him.

"Uh, hello," he said after a moment, for lack of anything better.

"Good morning," she said brightly "Might I ask what you're doing?" It took him to realize that her question translated to "Why are you standing here like a complete imbecile?"

"I'm trying to figure out who to sit with," he confessed, although he didn't know why. He didn't know the girl very well, and he wasn't even sure if he even liked her, but, despite that, he found himself continuing. "I don't know anyone well, and I don't want to sit alone."

"You can sit with us," she said, smiling. "I'm sure Al and Pol won't mind." And with that decided, she ventured forth, leaving Scorpius no choice but to follow. He couldn't ignore a direct invitation. He tagged along a few steps behind, and saw her wave to a dark haired boy at the Gryffindor table, whom he took to be Potter's brother. The similarities in their faces were quite impressive.

Rose sat down across from her cousin and Lovegood, leaving a space for Scorpius. "Morning boys," she said, pouring herself some pumpkin juice.

"Good morning," Potter said, and there was a vague grunt from Lovegood, whose nose was buried in the _Daily Prophet_.

_At least it's not _The Quibbler, Scorpius thought as the other two rolled their eyes.

"And hello again," Potter said to Scorpius.

He gave a polite nod and reached for a couple of sausages.

"Are you always so articulate, or is it just reserved for mornings?" Potter asked, and Scorpius couldn't tell if he was joking or trying to irritate him.

"Do you always find it necessary to invade personal space, or is it just for waking others?" he responded, keeping his tone light enough to be interpreted as joking, but severe enough to be a comeback.

Potter laughed. "Touché," he said, grinning. "Again, sorry about that. I just wanted to make sure you heard me. You were out cold."

Scorpius nodded. "I'd just gone to bed a few hours prior, so I'm not surprised. Thank you."

Potter grinned.

"As for my speech, or lack-there-of," Scorpius continued, thinking it only fair to justify himself after Potter had done so, "I'm still deciding whether or not it's a good idea to associate with you."

Potter raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yes. I'm afraid that while you may be able to ignore who our fathers are and the history between them, I cannot. I admit that I may not know the whole story – indeed, I know very little – but it still stands that I don't know if it's a good idea to befriend you."

"Why is that?" Potter said, sounding more formal than before. Had Scorpius offended him? Was Potter mocking him? Or was it simply that his speech mannerisms were contagious?

"Well, as I said, the history between our fathers has not been the best, and I'm not sure how mine would react if I made friends with the son of someone who was supposed to be his bitterest enemy."

"I'm not sure my father would like it much, either," Potter said, "but I'm willing to try. We are housemates, after all."

"I never said I wasn't willing to try," Scorpius protested.

"Then where do we stand, Mr. Malfoy? I admit, I rather like you, and I think being friends with you would be quite interesting. I also don't see why we should make our fathers' conflict our own when we have no basis for it. So, the ball is in your court."

"Pardon?" What was he talking about, balls and courts?

"Oh, sorry," Potter said, becoming more like himself again as the formal manner faded slightly. "I suppose you wouldn't understand that one. It's a muggle expression. It means the decision is up to you."

_You couldn't just say that?_ Scorpius thought. But Potter was right. It was up to him. Yes, his father might react badly, and Iris would probably slaughter him, but Potter's father might be upset too, and _he_ was still willing to give it a go, and he didn't care what she thought anyway. Potter also made some good points. Why should he let an argument of his father's prevent him from making friends? If he was going to Hell for breaking the Malfoy tradition, he might as well enjoy himself on the way there.

"Well," he said after a while. "I'm bound to be disowned for not being in Slytherin. What's one more reason to disinherit me going to do?" He smiled.

Potter laughed. "Here, here!"

Rose, however, looked concerned. "Will your father really be upset that you aren't in Slytherin?"

Scorpius shrugged. "I don't know. He said he wouldn't care what House I was in, but I'm certain he was counting on Slytherin. I'm just thankful I wasn't sorted into Hufflepuff of Gryffindor. Ravenclaw is the most acceptable alternative."

"Same for me," Potter said. "He promised that even if I was a Slytherin he wouldn't be upset, but if I wasn't going to be a Gryffindor, I'm glad I ended up here."

Suddenly Lovegood slammed the paper down on the table. He was pointing to an article. "Merlin's Pants! Look at this!"

Scorpius was shocked at the boy's sudden movement and language, but recovered as Potter read the offending article aloud.

"'Yesterday, 1 September, a disturbance was reported near the grave of the late Albus Percivil Wolfgang Brian Dumbledore –,' blah, blah, all his achievements, which, by the way, are impressive. Glad I'm named after him. Oh, here we go. '…One Agatha Konvirck, resident of the surrounding countryside, said that she heard a bang during the night and went to investigate. She says she saw the usual guard on duty out cold and rushed into the graveyard. Two figures dressed in dark cloaks were melting into the shadows. She immediately contacted the Ministry, who sent out aurors to look around. They were able to discern that nothing had been harmed, but that Dumbledore's grave had recently been the target of dark magic. However, whatever spell had been used was untraceable, proving that whoever had been there was really trying to cover their tracks.'" Potter looked up. "What do you s'pose happened?"

"I don't know," Lovegood said darkly, "but if someone was looking for something in Dumbledore's tomb, it can't be good."

"What would they find there, though?" Scorpius asked. "Was he buried with anything valuable?"

"Dunno," Potter said. "I reckon you're right, though, Pol. Whatever it was about, it definitely means trouble."

They were distracted from their musings by the distribution of class schedules.

"Oh, brilliant," Potter said, grinning. "Herbology first. I can't wait to see Neville – I mean, Professor Longbottom."

"How many teachers do you _know_?" Scorpius asked.

"Only a couple," Rose said. "Just Professor Longbottom and Hagrid."

"Does he teach here?"

Potter nodded. "Care of Magical Creatures, but we don't start that until third year."

"Oh."

"What time is it?" Rose asked.

Lovegood glanced at his watch. "6:50."

"We better get going," she said, standing.

Together, the troop of four headed out to the Greenhouses.


	9. Year One, Nine

A/N: Despite the fact that I'm sure all this apologizing for erratic updates is getting redundant, I'm still very, very sorry. School, however, is ending soon, so maybe when I don't have eight million papers to write, I'll be able to write this with more regularity. Fingers crossed. :)

Year One, 9

Albus sighed and plopped down across from Apollo at the Ravenclaw table to wait for dinner. It had been a long…interesting day.

First, there had been his semi-confrontational talk with Scorpius that morning, which, while ending nicely, had been rather unexpected. He'd known it would happen eventually, he supposed, but not with such suddenness. To be honest, though, he was happy it was out of the way. Things like that, he thought, were better to deal with as soon as you can and hope for the best, which in this case was what, thankfully, happened.

Immediately after, though, had been an embarrassing Herbology lesson for not only him, but Rose and Pol as well. When they'd entered the greenhouse, Neville, or, rather, Professor Longbottom, had attempted to hug them all in front of everyone. This wouldn't have been so bad, especially as they'd managed to deflect quickly, but the Ravenclaws shared Herbology with the Slytherins, so when Professor Longbottom wasn't looking, they were openly mocked. While this had been going on, Albus had also noticed a pretty but evil looking Slytherin girl who spent the entire lesson staring at Scorpius in a way that reminded Albus of a dragon eyeing its prey before a kill, which was disconcerting, to say the least.

After Herbology they'd headed off to more difficult lessons, which were proving to be quite rigorous, despite just starting. It was only the first day, and they'd already been given three homework assignments, one of which was an eighteen inch essay on the practical use of Charms in everyday life. Albus had to say that while her first impression had come off as ditzy, Professor Stills was a very intense, no-nonsense teacher.

And if all that hadn't been enough to deal with, to top everything off, he'd just had a stressful encounter with his brother. They'd both been heading toward the Great Hall when James had spotted him and called out. He'd waited nervously as his brother approached, unsure of what would be said.

When they were within feet of each other, James had stopped, and they'd stood there awkwardly for a moment. Finally James cleared his throat and said, "So, Ravenclaw, huh?"

Albus nodded. "Yeah. Ravenclaw. You, erm," he paused to cough self-consciously, "you aren't mad, are you?"

Thankfully James had grinned. "About Ravenclaw? Nah!" He ruffled Albus' hair. "Look at it this way. It could have been Slytherin."

Albus grinned then, too. "True."

James' smile faded slightly. "And, uh, Scorpius Malfoy?" At Albus' nod, he'd added, "What's that like?"

Albus shrugged. "I don't know. It's not so bad. He seems a little uppity, but that might just be because of the name, you know? Keeping up appearances and all that. He's otherwise pretty decent." He grinned. "Reckon I'll find out soon enough, though."

James had grinned too. "Reckon you will. See you around?"

Albus nodded. "You bet."

James moved to go, but then sprang back at him suddenly and caught him in a half-Nelson. "'Bye little brother," he'd said, giving Albus a noogie.

"Ow!" Albus said, laughing. "Gerroff me, you git!" He'd elbowed James in the ribs, and his brother let go. Together they'd entered the Great Hall and headed toward their respective tables.

Albus now caught sight of Scorpius as he entered the Hall. He pondered the boy as he walked toward the Ravenclaw table. He wasn't sure what it was about the Malfoy boy that intrigued him so much, but he found Scorpius undeniably fascinating.

"Is this seat taken?" Scorpius asked, gesturing to the empty seat beside Albus.

"Not at all," he said with a grin.

Scorpius smiled faintly and sat down. There was a bit of an awkward silence until Rose showed up a few moments later and sat next to Pol, who was, once again, reading the stupid _Quibbler_.

"There are so many passageways in this school," she huffed, frowning. "I don't know how I'm ever going to remember my way to class."

And just like that the ice was broken, and almost immediately, dinner appeared on the table. Albus grabbed a spoon and started shoveling mashed potatoes onto his plate.

"Does anyone else find that Charms essay a complete waste of our time?" Scorpius asked. "Eighteen inches! We live with wizards, for Merlin's sake. We know how useful they are. We shouldn't have to write eighteen inches on the subject!"

"I agree," Rose said. "For us it's a waste of time, and it's putting Muggleborns at a complete disadvantage. How are they supposed to write that much about the practical use of Charms?"

Scorpius nodded. "It _is_ only their second or third week around magic, right? They wouldn't know a thing." Albus saw him glance over at him, in a way that almost looked like he was seeking conformation, and he smiled.

"I'm pretty sure Professor Stills is mental," he added for good measure. He looked over at Pol, who still hadn't put down that bloody magazine. He met Rose's eyes and, at her slight nod, leaned across the table and snatched the offending rubbish out of Pol's hands.

"Hey!" Pol said indignantly, trying to get it back. "Give it!"

"Not a chance," Albus said. He handed the magazine to Scorpius. "Please sit on this."

Scorpius cocked an eyebrow at him. "Pardon?"

"Sit on it, please," he repeated.

There was a moment's pause as Scorpius thought about it, and then he took the publication and sat on it.

"Oh, come on, guys!" Pol pleaded.

"No!" Albus said. "Meal time, Apollo, is family time, which, while we're here, is what we," he gestured to himself, Rose, and Scorpius, "are. Now, you may read that drivel whenever the hell else you wish, but when we're eating, you will participate."

"It's not drivel!" Pol snapped.

"What are you talking about? It's absolute rubbish," Scorpius said.

Pol frowned. "My mum is the editor."

Scorpius' face drained completely of the little color it had, and then went as red as Rose's hair. "Oh, I – I – I – ."

"Pol, don't scare him," Rose laughed.

"Yeah, come on, Pol. Scorpius knows what's up. He knows it's rubbish, Rose knows it's rubbish, I know it's rubbish, even YOU know it's rubbish. There's no denying it."

"Yes, well – ."

"Listen, no one cares that you read it, just don't read it at the table, okay?" Rose said.

Pol frowned. "You all sound like my mother."

They all looked at him.

"Oh, fine, I won't read it at the table."

Scorpius leaned over and whispered in Albus' ear. "Is his mother really the editor?"

Albus grinned. "Yeah, but don't worry about it. Pol knows she's a bit daft."

Scorpius looked relieved, and Albus laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "If you're going to hang around with us, Score, you need to lighten up a bit. We don't bite."

"Much," Pol added, but smiled to let Scorpius know he was joking.

"Right," Scorpius said, sounding a little confused.

"You get used to them," Rose said. "I promise."

"Rose, you make us sound so terrible," Albus said, grinning. "Honestly, Score, we aren't that bad." He gave the slightly bewildered Malfoy a friendly nudge with his shoulder and they all tucked in to their food.

As they were leaving the Great Hall an hour later, Albus whipped around at a shrill cry of "SCORPIUS MALFOY!" from behind him. He saw Scorpius frozen mid-stride, wincing, and the evil Slytherin girl from Herbology marching up to him, followed by a gaggle of stupid-looking friends.

_Uh-oh_, Albus thought. _This can only end badly_. He walked over to Scorpius, just in case he needed to intervene.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here," the girl said, circling the two of them like a lion preparing to strike.

"Hello Iris," Scorpius said flatly. "What a pleasant surprise."

"Surprise?" Iris said. "Surely you knew this was coming?"

"I didn't anticipate it so soon," Scorpius sighed. "Can we just get it over with?"

Albus frowned, but didn't say anything.

"Oh, but there will be multiple parts coming at you," Iris said. "Should I start with your blatant inferiority? What about your failure? Your disappointment to your father? Your disgrace to your family name? Oh, what about your tainted friends?" She flashed a wicked look at Albus. "Any will do. I like them all."

Albus expected a snarky comeback such as the ones he'd received that morning, but all Scorpius said was, "You pick."

"I'll go in order, then, shall I?" Iris said with a sadistic grin. "Imagine our shock when the great Scorpius Malfoy failed to make Slytherin, the House that his ancestors had graced since they started attending this joke of a school. You're obviously not as great as you pretend to be. I was right about you, wasn't I? You're definitely not made of the stuff that makes a wizard great. Your father must be horrified. Of course, perhaps it wouldn't be so tragic if you hadn't flocked to _these_ –."

Albus had had enough. "Hey, snot face, shut up!"

Iris looked at him disdainfully. "Was anyone talking to you, Gryffindork?"

"You were talking around me, which is good enough. And I'm not a –."

"Oh, that's right! You're a failure too, aren't you? Trust me, golden boy, you'll get your turn, but right now it's Scorpius' time to shine. I suggest you butt out."

"Listen, snake breath, you mess with a friend of mine, you mess with me." He slung an arm protectively around Scorpius' shoulders. "I may not be a Gryffindor, but that doesn't mean I'm any less ready to kick your butt anytime, anywhere."

"I thought Gryffindors were too noble to hit girls," Iris sneered.

"First," Albus said, taking a deep breath to keep himself calm, "I am _not_ a Gryffindor. Second, because of that, I'm running a bit low on noble. So, please, think about that before you open your mouth again, because I'm not afraid to hit you, girl or not."

Iris eyed him for a minute, apparently sizing him up. "Alright, Potter. I'll let you have this round, only because I'm not ready for detention quite yet. But this isn't over." She turned to go. "Oh, and Scorpius, be thankful the Gryffindork was here to protect you. Next time, you may not be so lucky."

Albus glowered at her retreating figure. "I'm a RAVELNCLAW!" he shouted after her. He looked at Scorpius. "What is her _deal_? She's such a brat!"

Scorpius shrugged out from under his arm. "You didn't have to do that, you know," he muttered. "I can handle Iris."

Albus nodded. "It looks like you two have history, so I'm sure you can, but that's what friends do." He smiled.

"I wish you hadn't." Scorpius trudged past him and headed toward Ravenclaw Tower.

"Why?" Albus asked, following.

"Because now she's going to use that as another weapon!" Scorpius snapped.

Albus blinked. "I'm sorry, mate. I was just trying to help."

"Well, I don't need your help, okay? Like she said, just butt out."

"Listen," Albus said. "There's no way I'm going to just sit there and listen to someone insult my friends. I'm sorry if it embarrasses you, but I'm not going to let her wail on you like that because she's a snot who thinks she's better than everyone. Especially if you aren't going to defend yourself."

"One doesn't defend oneself against Iris. One lets her go and takes what she says, and when she's finished, walks away or calls her a name. I know; I've had years of experience."

"Sounds like fun. Quality friend that girl must be."

"Oh, she's God-awful, but when given the choice to be with her or against her, it's much easier to be with her. Believe it or not, what you just saw was tame. And when one has to deal with people such as her, one becomes an expert at ignoring them, unless they personally attack you." Scorpius sighed.

"That _was_ a personal attack," Albus said.

"It could have been worse. One also learns to pick and choose one's fights."

"That must be difficult."

"It is, but I've made due. I've never had any other friends before, so I've taken what I could get."

"You can have _real_ friends, you know," Albus said. "Rose and Pol and me, we'd like you to think of us like that."

"I know. I just," Scorpius paused to sigh. "I don't know what to do."

"Don't think too hard," Albus said. "Just go with it. That's what friendship is. You have to take it as it comes, because if you think about it too much, then you won't have any friends."

"Oh."

Albus grinned. "Yeah. But you have to accept all aspects of it, like having help dealing with those gits. You aren't going to go stuff like that alone."

Scorpius' mouth twitched into an almost smile. "I think I can deal with that."

"Good." Albus slung his arm around Scorpius' shoulder again. "Welcome to the group, Score. You'll have a good time. I promise."


	10. Year Two, One

A/N: Hey, it's only been a month since I last updated, and I'm updating again? What is this madness? I like it. :) I think it's going to be a good summer for fanfiction, don't you? And we're into year two! This is so exciting!

Year Two, One

"Hey! Blondie!"

Scorpius cringed slightly and turned to see Albus Potter fighting his way through a hoard of first years to get to him. When he saw Scorpius looking, Albus' face lit up and he waved. Scorpius couldn't help but smile a little. No matter how obnoxious Albus was, he was still amusing. Scorpius was just glad his father wasn't around at the moment. He wasn't sure how well "Blondie" would go over.

"Wotcher, Score," Albus said when he got over to Scorpius. Summer seemed to suit Albus. His hair had more red in it than Scorpius remembered and he had a sprinkling of freckles everywhere that hadn't been there since the beginning of last year. They were rather appealing, and Scorpius found himself wishing that there was more sun at Hogwarts.

"Hello, Albus," Scorpius said, glancing around.

Albus snorted. "Why so formal? Too long at the Manor?" At Scorpius' frown, he smiled. "Joking. Relax, Score."

"Sorry," Scorpius said. "You're right. It's been a while since I've been out of the house."

"We should have gotten together. You could have sent me an owl," Albus said.

Scorpius shrugged. He knew that he could have, but the memory of the previous Christmas, when he'd come home to find out that his father knew that he was friends with Albus, had stopped him. Draco hadn't been angry, per say, but he'd expressed his disappointment that Scorpius had felt it necessary to hide who his friends were, and that he'd had to find out via Pansy Parkinson. "If there's anything I should know about," he'd said, "please tell me about it quickly. I'd rather hear bad news from you than from Pansy. I don't enjoy being taunted." They hadn't spoken of the matter since, and Scorpius had wanted to keep it that way.

"You could have sent _me_ one," he pointed out.

Albus nodded. "I had one ready, but then I realized that you might get into trouble if I did, so I decided I'd wait."

Scorpius sighed. "Thanks. You're right, of course, but I don't know how Father would have reacted to that."

"How Father would have reacted to what?"

Scorpius paled slightly at the sound of Draco's voice behind him, and he turned to face him. "Hello, Father."

"Hello, Scorpius. And I take it that you are Albus Potter?" Draco looked at Albus, and for some reason this made Scorpius nervous. His father's expression was impossible to read and it worried him.

Albus stood up straighter under the elder Malfoy's gaze. "Yes, sir," he said politely. "It's good to meet you."

Draco didn't say anything for a moment and Scorpius bit his lip. Finally, Draco replied just as politely, and pleasantly, even. "It's good to meet you as well. I wish I could say that Scorpius has told me so much about you, but he hasn't, I'm afraid." He looked reproachfully at his son.

Albus grinned. "That's alright, sir. I haven't told my father much about him, either."

Scorpius winced. The comment was clearly not supposed to be rude, but he could see Draco thinking it was some sort of insult. Luckily, however, Draco laughed.

"That's fair, my boy. I can see why you two would have reluctance in sharing each other. Your father and I haven't exactly had the best track record for getting on. You look very much like him, you know."

Albus grinned again. "I've heard that," he said.

The train whistled and Scorpius breathed a sigh of relief. "We better get going," he said quickly.

"I'll see you on the train. I should go say goodbye again. It was good to meet you, Mr. Malfoy."

"You as well," Draco said. "Don't be afraid to send an owl next summer. I don't bite, and you're more than welcome at the Manor."

"Thank you!" Albus called before going to find his family.

Scorpius looked at his father who looked back at him. "I don't know why you kept him from me. I like him."

Scorpius stared. "Really?"

"Really." Draco smiled warmly at his son. "What happened between Harry Potter and me is all in the past now. I won't say that we're best friends, but we are no longer at odds. Don't let some old feud of mine keep you from making friends."

Scorpius smiled. "Thanks, Dad."

The train whistled again. Draco hugged his son.

"'Bye, son. Have a good year."

"'Bye, Dad. I'll write."

"You better."

Scorpius hurried and caught the train just before Albus did. Scorpius could see Albus' family on the other side of the platform, watching as the train lurched forward.

"Well, that was interesting," Albus said with a grin. "Let's go find Rose and Pol."

"Interesting?" Scorpius asked. "I was terrified."

Albus laughed. "You worry too much, Score."

Scorpius snorted. "Don't give me that. You can't tell me you weren't scared too."

"Alright, I admit, I was a little nervous, but your dad seems nice." He smiled. "No biggie."

"He likes you," Scorpius said.

"Does he?" Albus looked relieved and Scorpius smiled.

"See? You _were_ worried. But, yes, he does."

"I just got that ol' Potter charm, I guess," Albus said, grinning. "Oh, here they are." He stopped and opened a compartment. "Wotcher, everyone!"

Inside sat Rose Weasley, looking as meddlesome yet good natured as ever; Apollo Lovegood, reading _The Quibbler_, of course; and two Gryffindors whom he remembered to be Maureen Finnegan and Colin Thomas. He'd never spoken to either of them for any length of time but they seemed tolerable. Rose smiled brightly when she saw them. "Hello, Albus, hello, Scorpius."

"Have room for two more?" Albus asked.

There was a moment of shuffling around so that everyone could be seated comfortably. Scorpius ended up across from Albus and next to Pol.

"So get this," Albus said. "I just met Score's dad."

Everyone stared at them, looking from Albus to Scorpius, and back again. Even Pol looked up from his magazine. Scorpius felt himself flush.

"How'd that go?" Rose asked, more curious than worried, as the others seemed to be.

"You look okay," Maureen said. "Did he hex you?"

Scorpius frowned. "My father may not have a very good reputation, but he does have honor and self control, thank you."

Maureen's face colored instantly. "Oh. I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I didn't mean –."

"I know you didn't, but, please, kindly consider who is present next time before you go ahead and insult someone's family." Perhaps he was being rude, but what right did this girl have to make judgments about a person she'd never met?

"Anyway," Rose said, trying to diffuse the sudden tension, "tell us what happened."

"Nothing really eventful," Albus said. "He's very pleasant. I don't know why people talk about him like he's Voldemort or something." He looked pointedly and Maureen, who blushed even darker and looked away.

"So it went well, then?" Pol asked.

"Extremely."

"Al worked his – what was it? 'Potter charm'?" Scorpius said, smirking.

Albus made a face. "Don't hate. Yes, the Potter charm worked wonders, as always."

"Good. Now maybe use some of it on Professor Stills when we get to Hogwarts so we don't get another essay first day this year," Colin said.

Scorpius smiled and watched his friends talk. It was good to be back.


	11. Year Two, Two

A/N: What? I'm updating TWICE this month? Is this even possible? Yes; it will be a good summer for fanfiction. To those of you who pointed out the name of Scorpius' mom is supposed to be Astoria, please note that it's been fixed in this chapter. I was unaware when I began this fic that she has a legitimate name, and apologize for that. Anyway, enjoy! :D

Year Two, Two

Scorpius sighed in exasperation and snapped the book he was holding shut, adding it to the steadily growing pile of useless volumes he'd started. He'd entered the library that afternoon determined to find the answers to his Potions assignment, and here he was, three hours and twelve books later, and still nothing.

He sighed again, this time in exhaustion and rubbed his aching eyes before taking another book from the pile of those he'd yet to go through. _Twelve down_, he thought, _ten to go._

"What are you doing for Christmas?"

Scorpius jumped and the book fell to the table with a thud. Albus had suddenly appeared beside him, even though mere seconds before there had been nothing there but air. If he didn't know any better, he'd think that the boy had Apparated.

Ignoring Madam Pince's glare from the desk, Scorpius picked up his book and Albus sat in the chair opposite him, suppressing laughter. "How do you do that?" Scorpius grumbled.

"Do what?" Albus' tone was far too innocent and it made Scorpius grit his teeth.

"You know perfectly well 'what'," he muttered. "That whole appearing out of nowhere thing."

Albus grinned. "I have my ways."

"I'm sure you do," Scorpius frowned, flipping open the book to the index.

"You haven't answered my question," Albus said, sounding relaxed and almost bored. _Like me_, Scorpius realized. He wasn't sure whether that pleased him or not.

"What question?" he asked, not looking up.

"Do you have plans for Christmas?" Albus repeated.

Scorpius paused in his work, surprised not only that the holidays were close enough for questions like this, but also that he'd forgotten about them. Now that Albus had reminded him, however, he remembered why he'd forgotten. With a groan, he put his head down on the table.

Albus' grin was audible. "Oh, well _that_ looks encouraging. I take it your Christmas isn't going to be very cheery?"

"You've no idea," Scorpius said, voice muffled by the table.

"What are you doing?"

Scorpius sighed and sat up; no use in being undignified. "Father and I will be spending the holiday with my grandmother." He couldn't quite suppress the slight shudder that ran through him at the thought.

Albus grinned. "Well, that sounds _terribly_ exciting."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Hardly. Gran and I…don't exactly get on." _That_, of course, was such an understatement that it was almost a lie. Scorpius disliked Narcissa Malfoy almost as much as she disliked him – which was a lot. Spending the two weeks of the Christmas holiday with her was practically torture, and with his mother gone, Scorpius knew that things would be even worse than usual.

Albus' smile became sympathetic. "I got that impression. I was being sarcastic."

"Ah," Scorpius said absently, wondering if it was too late to sign up to stay at school for Christmas, cowardly though it may be.

"Score?" The concern in Albus' voice brought him back to what was going on.

"Hm?"

"Are you alright?"

Scorpius gave him a half-hearted smile. "Yes, sorry."

Albus smiled back at him brightly. "Not a problem. Anyhow, since your current engagement seems so repulsive to you," he paused to grin, "I am here to offer an alternative option."

Scorpius gave him a good-natured eye roll, but couldn't help the smirk that appeared at Albus' use of so many big words. The boy's vocabulary had greatly improved since they'd become friends, even if he only used it to make fun of the way Scorpius spoke. "Oh? And what is this alternative?"

"My place."

Scorpius cocked an eyebrow in surprise. "Pardon?"

"Well, I, er…." Albus paused to clear his throat. His expression had gone from playfully mocking to almost bashful and Scorpius thought he saw the faint hint of a blush on Albus' cheeks. "You see, I thought that if you weren't doing anything special that you might consider spending the holiday with me – us. I've asked Mum and Dad and they said that if it's alright with your parents that you're more than welcome." He paused again and when Scorpius didn't reply, he began to babble.

"It won't be just my parents and me, of course," he said. "James will be there, naturally, and Rose, too, because the whole family usually gets together and she's my cousin and all. Pol will probably be there too for a bit because Mum always invites him and his mum, and you haven't met Hugo or Lily yet…." He trailed off, probably seeing Scorpius' frown, as his next words were, "Of course, if you don't want to, I understand. It _is_ Christmas, after all, and it's supposed to be a family holiday and whatnot. I just figured I'd offer…."

Scorpius shook his head. "Al, believe me, there is nothing I'd rather do than spend Christmas with you. I don't think I should, though. First, I don't want to intrude on your celebrations; you said yourself that Christmas is a family holiday. Second, I'd feel rotten about leaving my father to face the beast on his own. My mother will be…detained this year, so if I don't go with him that means the two of them will be alone together for two weeks, and if that happens I'm relatively sure I will be short a family member. Because of this, I think Father will say no, too."

Albus nodded. "You wouldn't be intruding, but I do see what you're saying. I'd like for you to have your family intact." He grinned. "Which do you think you'd lose?"

Scorpius shrugged. "I don't know. Gran loves Dad, but he hates her so he might kill her, but if he does enough to piss her off – and it's distinctly possible that he will – she might get him first."

Albus laughed. "Well, think about it. You don't have to decide now, and if you do say no, I understand. I just want you to know you have the option. There's three weeks til break, so you have time." He stood and stretched. "I'll see you at dinner. I need to find Rose."

Scorpius nodded. "Okay."

Albus walked away, and out of the corner of his eye Scorpius thought he saw Albus wave at someone. When he looked back, though, his friend had vanished. Scorpius frowned. "I hate when he does that," he muttered, turning back to his books. His heart just wasn't in it anymore, however.

_Damn_, he thought. He really wanted to go to the Potter's for Christmas but he knew he couldn't, not with his mother gone off to who knows where.

Scorpius had known that things between his parents were bad, but it had still been a shock when he'd woken up one morning in June to find that his mother and all of her things had vanished; no note, nothing. There wasn't a trace that she'd ever been there. His father had been giddy for weeks about it, but he'd been annoyed. He understood not leaving anything for Draco, but what about _him_? She'd cared for _him_, after all, hadn't she? Six months later, though, he'd still to hear from her and he was beginning to doubt that.

Other than the initial surprise, though, Astoria's disappearance had had no real impact on his life, especially since he'd returned to Hogwarts. In fact, he'd forgotten about it until now, but since he remembered, he was annoyed again. It was one thing to run off without a trace, but now it was proving to be a damned inconvenience. If she was still around, Scorpius would be able to skip his grandmother's, but he couldn't in good conscious let his father spend Christmas alone with her.

If there was anyone in the world Narcissa hated more than Scorpius, it was Astoria Malfoy. In fact, she hated her almost as much as she adored Draco, which was saying something. In past years both her wrath and obnoxious amount of attention had been deflected from the two of them by Astoria's presence, because she seemed to have the most fun when taunting his mother. Now, though….

_Damn_, he thought again. He looked down at his books and took a deep breath. He was determined to get this bloody assignment finished before dinner, and what better distraction than a dull couple of hours reading about Potions?


	12. Year Two, Three

A/N: Here's your July update. I'll try my best to get another chapter up soon, but there is that whole job thing I have to worry about. Stupid job. :( Also, if Snape and Dumbledore seem a bit out of character, I apologize. I'd like to think they are a bit less serious now that they're dead.

Year Two, Three

Albus sat there, silently seething, in the headmistress' office, waiting for McGonagall to arrive. He'd been there for ten minutes already and the longer he sat, the angrier he got. Also, the portraits were beginning to stare at him and whisper, making this an all-around uncomfortable experience.

The sound of the door opening behind him provided only slight relief to his irritation, and Albus watched quietly as McGonagall made her way to her desk, shaking her head in disappointment. She sighed as she sat down across from him and examined him sternly over her spectacles. "Well, Mr. Potter, I have to say I am both surprised and disappointed to see you sitting here. Your brother and I have become rather well acquainted over the past three years, as I'm sure you know, but I had hoped it had not be so with you." She shook her head again. "Now, please tell me why it is that you hexed Miss Parkinson."

"I'm sure she deserved it," the portrait of Severus Snape said suddenly. "If that girl is anything like her mother, she could use a good hexing."

"Severus!" McGonagall said, annoyed. "Please keep –."

"Severus is right, Minerva," the portrait of Albus Dumbledore said. "I'm sure young Albus here was provoked." The portrait winked at Albus and turned to face Snape – well, as much as he could, being a portrait and all. "You're right about Miss Parkinson, too. I don't know what it was about that girl; I hated her. Quite a bit, actually."

"Albus!" McGonagall shouted at the portrait, scandalized.

Albus (the live one) was watching this scene unfold with growing fascination. Not only was his irritation about being there gone, but he was now also doing his best to suppress laughter.

"Gentlemen," McGonagall was saying to the portraits. "I appreciate the interest you have in my students, but, really, this is none of your concern. So, please, take no offense when I tell you to kindly butt out." These last words were ground out, and she turned in a frustrated huff back to Albus. "Why did you hex Miss Parkinson?"

Albus took a moment to compose himself, making sure he would not laugh when he spoke, and then he rattled off the list of insults Iris had given to him, Scorpius, and their families. "So, I hexed her," he said finally.

"Told you she deserved it," Snape's portrait muttered.

McGonagall ignored it. "I see. Well, I won't argue that you were not provoked, Mr. Potter, but the rules are in place for a reason. I simply cannot have students running around, casting bat-bogey hexes at each other in the –."

"Bat-bogey hexes?" Snape's portrait interrupted. "Is that what you did? And you're only in second year?"

Albus nodded.

Snape's portrait nodded in approval. "I'm impressed."

"Well, he _is_ a Ravenclaw," Dumbledore's portrait said. "_And_ he's Ginny Weasley's son. I saw her perform quite a few excellent bat-bogey hexes in my time." His eyes twinkled fondly at the memory.

"Will you two _shut up_?" McGonagall snapped, visibly losing her patience.

"Hmph," Snape's portrait huffed and Dumbledore's stuck his tongue out at her when she turned back around. Albus had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing out loud.

"As I was saying," she said, "there are other options than magic available to you should you have a problem, Mr. Potter. That being said, I'm afraid that, despite what my two esteemed _former_ colleagues may think, I'm going to have to give you detention."

Albus and both former headmasters groaned.

"I'm sorry, but as I said, we have rules for a reason. There would be chaos if I let you run amok hexing each other, not to mention that Mr. Filch would have a heart attack. However, I can assure you that Miss Parkinson will be punished as well once she returns from the hospital wing. Please report to the greenhouses at seven o'clock this evening. Professor Longbottom is in need of some help with his Venomous Tentactula, if I am not mistaken. You may go."

Albus sighed as he stood up. As far as detentions went, he supposed he should be thankful – Neville wouldn't be too hard on him, he was certain of that – but it was the principle of the thing.

"Why is it," he heard McGonagall snap as he was about to close the door behind him, "that you two cannot mind your own business when I'm with my students?"

"We like to be difficult," he heard Snape's portrait reply. With a grin, he started to close the door, but stopped when he heard what was said next.

"Minerva," Dumbledore's portrait said, sounding both serious and urgent all of a sudden, "what are you doing to quell the rumblings in the lake?"

_Rumblings in the lake?_ Albus thought curiously. _What is he talking about?_

He heard McGonagall sigh. "How did you know about that?"

"Minerva," the portrait replied, sounding like he was talking to a slow child, "I can move around through the portraits, you know, and people are talking. I can also see the bloody lake from here. The squid is going berserk. How could I _not_ know?"

McGonagall sighed again. "I asked Myrtle to speak with them the next time she visits, but –."

"Moaning Myrtle?" Snape's portrait said, joining the conversation. "You're mad if you think _that_ will do you any good. Also, perhaps we should continue this conversation a bit later, when curious ears aren't lurking about. I see Mr. Potter has failed to shut the door properly."

Albus flushed and quickly shut the door, practically running down the stairs in his haste to escape further punishment and cursing himself for not remembering that Snape's portrait could see the door. He slowed his pace when he reached the bottom so as not to attract unwanted attention and trudged his way back up to Ravenclaw Tower, wondering if he'd just cost his house more points.

He paused outside the panel that would reveal the door, and knocked with the eagle knocker. It's beak opened.

"_You cannot see me_

_So don't even try._

_If you _can_ perceive me _

_You have reason to cry._

_What am I?"_ the voice asked.

Albus thought for a moment. "An invisibility cloak?"

"I am sorry, but that is incorrect."

_Bollocks_, he thought. _Can this day get any worse?_

As it turned out, it very well could. Two hours, and several more wrong answers later, he was still in the corridor outside the common room.

"Bloody hell," he muttered, checking his watch. It was almost time for dinner. "Well, at least that's something."

Back downstairs he was clapped on the shoulder by several students and given a chorus of "Well done"s, "She had it coming"s, and "Bloody brilliant"s. Feeling slightly better, he sat down at the Ravenclaw table and waited for his friends.

"Finally," he said when Scorpius and Pol sat down.

"Where have you been all afternoon?" Scorpius asked. "McGonagall didn't keep you all that time, did she?"

Albus shook his head. "I was only there about a half hour. I couldn't figure out the bloody answer to the bloody question, so I was in the bloody corridor for two bloody hours."

Scorpius frowned, presumably at his overuse of the word "bloody," but also probably because the answer was an obvious one. "It's thestral."

Albus groaned. "Of course it is! Merlin, I'm an idiot."

"What was your answer?" Pol asked.

"Invisibility cloak," Albus sighed.

Pol and Scorpius looked at each other, confused, and then back at him. "Why would you think that?" Scorpius asked.

"You can't see invisibility cloaks!" Albus said defensively.

"Yes, but you can't EVER see them," Pol pointed out.

"And why would an invisibility cloak make you cry?" Scorpius asked.

"I don't know! People use them for pranking, right? So what if the prank made you cry? That's a good reason, isn't it?" His friends shook their heads and he sighed. "Oh well."

"So what did McGonagall say?" Scorpius asked.

"She said that she didn't blame me, really, but because I broke the rules, she had to give me detention."

"Iris is getting detention too, right?" Pol asked.

Albus nodded. "Once Madam Pomfrey fixes her, yes."

"What do you have to do?" Scorpius said.

"Help Neville with his Venomous Tentactula."

"Oh, that's not so bad," Pol said.

"Except for the Venomous Tentactula part," Scorpius said.

"True," he conceded.

"Hey, little brother." James suddenly appeared in the seat next to him. "Hello, boys," he said to the others.

"Hey, James," they all said together.

"I heard you took a trip to McGonagall's office today," James said.

"Albus nodded."

"What did you do?"

"I hexed Iris Parkinson," he said.

"Well done. Which hex?"

"Bat-bogey." Albus grinned.

James grinned as well. "Mum would be proud."

"Hey, James, do Snape and Dumbledore's portraits argue with her?" he asked.

James laughed. "Oh, yes. I love getting sent up there because I love watching them all fight. Snape and Dumbledore always side with the students. It's bloody hilarious."

"Right, because I almost choked trying not to laugh at her."

"Good thing you didn't. I did my first time, and she took away fifty points."

"Fifty!"

James nodded. "She doesn't like to be laughed at." He grinned at the memory. "Well, I'm famished," he said getting up, "so if you all will excuse me, I'm going to have dinner." He patted Albus on the back. "Enjoy your meals, boys."

They watched him walk away and Albus turned to Scorpius. "There's something on my back, isn't there?"

Scorpius leaned back to check an Albus and Pol heard a choked laugh.

He groaned. "Get it off, will you?"

Scorpius had to find his wand and use an un-sticking charm to get it loose. When he saw what it said, Albus frowned. "_Levicorpus_ me and see what happens?"

"That doesn't sound promising," Pol said.

"What does _Levicorpus_ do?" Albus asked.

"I don't know. Someone cast it and find out," Scorpius suggested.

"Er, I'll pass," Albus said, crumpling the paper. "I've had enough unauthorized spell-casting today, I think. Damn!" The ball of paper was now stuck to his hand. He looked at Scorpius. "Help, please?"

Laughing, Scorpius recast the un-sticking charm and incinerated the paper.

"Ugh." Albus put his head down on the table. "Where's Rose at?"

"I think she said something about the library," Pol said.

"Oh."

"If it makes you feel better, Al," Scorpius said, "I have some good news."

"What is it?"

"Sit up and eat something and I'll tell you."

Albus sighed and straightened up. Grabbing a roll, he asked, "Okay, what is it?"

"I thought about your offer and I wrote Father about it. I got an owl from him this afternoon and he's decided to sacrifice his Christmas for mine."

Albus stared at Scorpius blankly.

"I'm coming to your house for the holiday," Scorpius said, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Oh!" Albus grinned, face lighting up. "Brilliant!"

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "You should really eat dinner. Even if it _is_ with Neville, detention isn't going to be easy."

Albus sighed. He hated it when Scorpius was right. Then he remembered something. "Oh, hey, has the Giant Squid been acting odd lately?"

The other two stared at him. "Because it usually acts normally?" Scorpius asked.

Albus rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. Has it been acting even _odder_ lately?"

"Not that I've noticed," Scorpius said.

"It's been a bit more active, perhaps, especially for winter, but I don't think that qualifies as odd," Pol agreed.

Albus pondered this, chewing absently. "What else lives in the lake?"

"I don't know. Grindylows, maybe? Why the sudden interest in the lake?" Scorpius asked.

Albus shrugged. "Just curious." But he frowned slightly. He was definitely going to ask Neville – no, he couldn't do that. _Damn_, he thought. He was sure Neville would know, but he was also sure Neville wouldn't tell him. If it was causing the staff concern – whatever _it_ was – then students probably weren't supposed to know about it, and he would wonder how Albus knew, or why he was asking about it. And he was also a much better at keeping secrets than Hagrid. He might be able to get a few details, but – Hagrid. He could ask –.

_No_, he thought resolutely. He couldn't ask Hagrid, either. Both he and Neville would ask too many questions. He knew he couldn't ask a professor about this.

_Mum and Dad might know_, he thought suddenly. _And they wouldn't care if I was asking questions about the lake_. Yes, when he got home for Christmas, he would –.

"You're looking terribly pensive," Scorpius commented. "What are you thinking about so intently?"

Albus shook his head. "Just about detention," he lied. He didn't know why he wasn't sharing with Scorpius and Pol, but he just didn't want to quite yet. It was probably nothing, anyway. _Yes, and a nargle will fly out of my arse_, he thought.

Scorpius gave an "Ah," of sympathy and the boys continued their meal in silence.


End file.
